Did Alex Curran unwittingly tip off masked raiders by bragging of her £10,000 watch for husband Gerrard?

Wednesday 12 December 2007 14:07 BST

Alex Curran: A friend says she is 'trying to be strong'

Hours after announcing that she had bought her husband a £10,000 Cartier watch for Christmas, the wife of England footballer Steven Gerrard was confronted by four masked burglars.

Alex Curran was at the couple's £3million mansion with a female friend, watching her husband play on TV, when they heard a noise.

They went to investigate and found themselves facing the raiders, who had taken thousands of pounds worth of jewellery and a woman's Rolex - but not the Cartier timepiece. They also took two sets of car keys.

The thieves are believed to have escaped through the front door of the Merseyside property as she called 999.

Gerrard, who was playing for Liverpool in Marseille at the time of Tuesday night's raid, is the sixth player from the club to be targeted in 18 months. Two Everton footballers were also hit.

Most of the burglaries happened when they were playing and the clubs are considering placing extra security on their homes at match times.

Outside his mansion yesterday, 27-year-old Gerrard said: "It's a police matter, but everyone's fine and that's the main thing. Alex is a bit shaken up, but she's OK. I'm just relieved nobody's been hurt."

Alex wrote in her shopping column for the Daily Mirror today: "It was absolutely terrifying. It was a horrendous experience and I'm still feeling shaken up but fortunately we are all OK and now it is on the hands of the police.

Steven Gerrard yesterday: 'I'm just relieved no-one's been hurt'

"Lilly and Lexie were my biggest concern. Thankfully, they are absolutely fine. They managed to sleep through the whole thing thank goodness.

"I'm still feeling too traumatised to talk about it much. I just don't want to relive it all.'

The house is only 500 yards from a police station and officers were quickly at the scene as a helicopter hovered overhead. They interviewed neighbours and examined footprints in the area.

The mansion is fronted by high wooden gates which can be opened only via an intercom.

However, sources close to the investigation revealed that the men smashed their way in through a door at the back of the property. It is thought they gained access via the rear garden, where Gerrard is having a new gym erected.

Officers are investigating the possibility that the raiders read articles which appeared in the Liverpool Echo and Closer magazine on Tuesday.

The newspaper article prowereclaimed: "Steven Gerrard will be waking up to a new Cartier watch on Christmas Day.' Few details were given of the burglars' haul, but detectives emerged from the mansion carrying a catalogue featuring luxury watches.

Neighbours described how minutes after the burglary Miss Curran's family, who live nearby, rushed to the house.

One said: "I looked out of the window and I could see a police helicopter shining a spotlight on Steven's garden.

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Mansion: The couple's £3 million home

Inside the Liverpool Captain's trophy room

Cartier watch: £10,000

"Then a few cars sped up and quite a few people got out. They pressing the intercom at the gates. One of them said, 'Alex don't worry, it's the family' before the gates opened."

A friend of the couple's family said: "The burglars have no respect. They trashed the place trying to find the valuables and then just waltzed out through the front gate. You can see their muddy footprints in the drive.

"Alex is heartbroken by what's happened. But she's trying to be strong for Steven and the kids."

In December last year a man from Tuebrook, Liverpool, was jailed for burglaries at the homes of Liverpool stars Jerzy Dudek, Peter Crouch and Daniel Agger, and Everton footballers Tony Hibbert and Andy Van der Meyde.

They involved property worth more than £600,000.

A spokesman for Liverpool FC said the club would be reviewing security for its players. "Our first concerns are for the welfare of Alex, Steven and the family.

"But we are aware that several members of our team have been targeted in this way. The club takes this extremely seriously and we will be looking at ways to provide cover for the players' houses while they are away on domestic and international duty."